The Curiosity Shop
by Gilly Bean2
Summary: Buffy Summers owns a small shop that sells vintage toys. Spike takes care of his autistic niece. Will they find love together? ch 5 & 6 up. Finally- Buffy and Spike meet face to face. PG
1. Buffy Summers

The Curiosity Shop

By Gilly Bean

_Summery_: As a child, Buffy Summer's parents had opened a shop that specialized in hard to find toys, vintage toys, and turn of the century arcade equipment. After they passed on, Buffy owned the shop. In more recent days, the customers had dwindled, leaving Buffy grasping for straws in order to keep the beloved Sunnydale Toy Company operating. But with big name stores moving in with low prices, it had gotten harder and harder to do. When she meets a new man, with a special little girl in his life, will she be able to find a way to make the STC stay alive? Or will she find something more important than toys?

_Rating_: We'll start with PG, and see where it ends up. This story **_MAY_** change ratings.

_Character Pairings_: Spike/Buffy, of course. There will likely be others along the way, but none so far.

**Chapter 1                 **

Looking out the window, Buffy Summers watched as a guy lead a little girl by the hand past her small shop. The girl stopped, digging her heels in as she did, and ran over to look into the window. Buffy smiled and waved at her, while the guy looked down at the girl, and began tugging her away. Slowly, the girl eased the tension in her body, and left with the man, but kept glancing back towards the windows of the Sunnydale Toy Company.

It wasn't so much an actual company that made toys, as it was a shop that sold all sorts of unique toys that one would be unable to find in normal places, such as the local Wal-Mart, or Kaybee Toys. The shop had been in Buffy's family for nearly fifteen years now, but with places such as Wal-Mart and Target popping up all over, it was getting harder and harder to stay in business. While most of the toys did hold some nostalgic appeal to parents, kids were more wont to play with laser guns, and toys that blipped, beeped, and bonked.

Buffy sighed as she watched the man disappear around the corner. He was tall, perhaps just over 6 feet tall, and had the brightest blonde hair she'd ever seen. At least, on a guy, that is. He had been wearing a suit, a nice black one with white pin stripes, and a bright red satin looking tie. He hadn't spared her or the shop even a glance. The little girl had, though. But Buffy doubted that Mr. Red Tie would be bringing her back.

Turning back to her work, Buffy began surfing the web again to find some of the vintage 80's toys that had become so popular lately. People were calling and asking to find things such as original My Little Ponies, or the original He-Man series of action figures, complete with the Grey Skull castle. Yes, if one had the money, vintage toys were the way to go. It was really a broad collectors item. And, it reminded so many people of their own childhood.

Just a month back, Buffy's friend Willow had talked her into putting up a website shop, as well as selling slower moving items on EBay. Buffy had dug her own heels in, figuratively, on the online shop, until Willow pointed out that if she didn't start getting some major sales soon, the shop would be closed, and that would be the end of STC. A catalogue would have been nice, but the printing costs alone were enough to scare her off. If it didn't work, she'd be out more precious money. It wasn't as much her she was worried over, as it was the company's fate.

Buffy had been left a sizeable inheritance from first her Grandmother, and then her parents. If she hadn't minded losing money so much, then she'd just have kept dropping money into the shop, and letting it continue on for years to come. But, unfortunately, she had come to a point where putting money into a losing investment had become too hard.

Moving the mouse around on the site, she clicked through several categories, and started looking up mint condition toys, still in the boxes. She could get more money for the items, sure, but she only sold them expensively on line, where she attracted collectors. At the shop, she kept her prices normal, where she sold more for the kids than anything.

When she had been little, Buffy had been fascinated by the cacophony of all the different light up toys, their music boxes all-blending to make for a unique blend of music, one that would only attract other children. Her parent's passion had been old circus toys, clowns and such. They had several carousels around the shop that all moved round and round, and played different circus tunes. In the back of the shop, Buffy stored several old carnival games that were from the turn of the century. As a child they had spooked her on more than one occasion.

Rather than looking cheerful, the clowns looked sinister. The fortuneteller looked evil, and the music was interlaced with what would have been laughter, save it sounded more like cackling to her young ears. Even now, she didn't like looking at them, or listening to them, which is why they had been put into large crates, and either sold, or stored. Either way, they were away from her eyes and ears.

Part of the old STC had been an arcade, with the machines ranging from 80 years old, to brand new. A majority of them were at least 15 years old, though, even then. There had been pinball machines, old Pac-man video games, the fortuneteller, a strong man vise grip, an arm wrestling machine, and so much more. Buffy had been thinking of re-opening an arcade to attract more kids, offer a pool table or two, and bring out all the older games she still had, as well as acquire some newer ones, modern ones.

But, that meant sinking more money into the shop, adding on to the floor space, and buying the machines. She just wasn't certain that was the way to go just yet. It really was dependant on how well the online shop took off, she mused. She had received nearly 20 orders in the month she was online, and even now, she could mark a pattern down which showed increased growth on the site, more visitors, and sales. In the first week, she had only sold 2 items. The second week, it had been 5, the third week was 5 again, and then this week alone, 8 items. With the auctions, she had unloaded 15 items, with all of them going for their worth except 2 things, which still sold at higher than she'd paid for them.

But 35 sales in a month weren't enough to keep the ink drying in black. As it was, the ink hadn't dried black in 3 months, and even when it did, it wasn't enough to consider it a profit. It was more like having a yard sale, and making a few extra dimes off some object that was no longer desirable. She supposed that the location of the shop might have a bit to do with the lack of customers. 15 years ago, this small side street had been teeming with shops, all small, all family owned and operated, and all dealing in vintage things. The shop had been popular all around. Old ladies shopped for their antiques here, young families would come to spend the day reliving the parent's youth, going from shop to shop to look at the curiosities found. On the banks of a river that ran through the street, the many merchants had set up a small picnic area. People could buy cold sodas from several shops, as well as some snack things.

Now, it was Buffy, an antique shop that was closed more than it was open, and a hardware store that had moved in a few years back. No one came down this street to browse. They either had a purpose, or they were lost. The merchants in downtown Sunnydale had felt a pinch when Wal-Mart had opened, but they could still easily operate in the black, because they got more through traffic. There was a small bed and breakfast in walking range, and the tourism for Sunnydale was up nearly 25% from past years. Yes, the downtown shops got their customers.

Ah, yes, Buffy thought as she clicked on a lot of vintage toys that was almost down, and currently going for well under its value. She placed her bid, and waited, counting her minutes down as she watched the numbers. With only a minute to go, someone outbid her, but not enough for her to back off. She waited a few precious seconds, and made her final bid with only 30 seconds to spare. For the amount of $77.39, Buffy was the proud new owner of 5 My Little Pony's, in mint packaging, 3 Barbie's from the 70's, in boxes, and 4 G.I. Joe guys, also in the packaging. In the shop, she would make little money off them, but online, she'd be able to turn around and sell each of them for a profit.

Closing out EBay, Buffy glanced at the clock, and with a sigh, she went to the door and locked it, before flipping off the open sign. Lunch time had come, and she was meeting Willow for a quick bite at a deli a few blocks over. So far, only 2 sales all day, which sadly, was an improvement.


	2. William 'Spike' Turner

**AN:** These first two chapters won't have any interaction in them. They are solely for the purpose of getting to know the characters, and understanding the major problems that are facing them **_before_** they enter into a relationship.

Chapter 2 

William 'Spike' Turner was running late. He had a meeting this morning, as well, which was just his luck. Already his boss was riding his ass over a proposal that didn't go through, and now he was late to a meeting with some potential clients. Just his luck. The day care center called and explained patiently that Jessie was biting again, and that this time, she'd have to be picked up and taken elsewhere until this problem was taken care of.

Problem my arse, he thought. She's only three, for crying out loud. What did they expect, a Rhodes Scholar? He tugged at her hand as he hurried along. His Aunt was willing to take her for today, and tomorrow, but after that, he was on his own again. For months now, he had been unsuccessfully trying to juggle his career with Jessie, and it wasn't working out all that great. In fact, one or two more problems at work, and he might find his problem taken care of for him.

He glanced down at Jessie, only to discover the little imp wasn't there. Turning to glance back, Spike saw her peering into the window of a small toy shop. With an exasperated sigh, he went back, and tugged on her arm. After a moments battle, she followed behind him, but kept turning to look back at the shop. She turned to look up at him with big brown eyes, which were much too soulful for a tike her age. She had inherited her coloring from Liam, Spike's brother.

Along with the large brown eyes, she had long brunette hair which was kept long. Spike had started to consider cutting it. When Darla was alive, Jessie's hair was always pulled back nice and neat, or braided, or tucked into a barrette. But Spike, for the life of him, could not get the thick tresses to do anything, with the exception of snarling up.

He peered back at the sign of the shop, Sunnydale Toy Company, and made a mental promise to bring Jessie back some Saturday to pick out a new doll, or Barbie. Jessie had been his exclusive responsibility for four months now, ever since his only brother and his sister-in-law were killed in a car accident. Liam Turner had been a top-dog attorney, and Darla had been a manager at a fancy club down town. They hadn't left Jessie loaded, but the little girl would have hardly any financial worries. Spike had taken a portion of the trust fund, and invested it for his niece, hoping to make certain she would never have to worry about money.

Part of the problem he was having, was that Jessie was Autistic. She spent most of her time in her own world surrounded by friends he couldn't see or hear. She was content to do her own thing for the most part, but he was having a problem finding a day-care equipped to handle his little niece. Spike had placed her on a waiting list for an exclusive day school nearby that specialized in autistic children, but they had told him back then that the list would take at least six months. If he could figure out how to keep her taken care of for just two more months, then he would be fine. Jessie would spend her days at Gideon Academy for the Gifted Student, and her evenings with him.

As far as autism went, he knew Jessie wasn't as bad as she could be. But that didn't stop him from wondering what she might be like if she weren't autistic. He couldn't even tell if she missed her parents or not, or if she even realized they were gone. She was content simply to amuse herself with the collection of dolls, which was numerous.

He glanced at his watch, and quickened his step just a bit. Spike's meeting would start in 15 minutes, and work was around 10 minutes away, while his Aunt's house was right around the corner. Finally, he arrived in front, and deposited his young charge, leaving her with a quick kiss, and thanking Aunt Betty. He hurried back around the corner to where he had parked his silver two door grand prix, and shifted it into gear.

By the seat of his pants, Spike slid into his chair at the meeting just as the doors were being closed for the meeting. Gathering his presentation materials, he waited to be announced. If all went well, he'd sell this ad to the local radio company and he would get a nice bonus on his next check. It was effortless for him to come up with the ideas, and even to sell them. But since Jessie… well, she had colored on two of his presentations the night before they were to be shown, she stole one that he had yet to uncover, and the last one, the one that got him in trouble, she had spilled his coffee all over, and then dumped his only house plant on top of it.

Snapping to attention, Spike stood swiftly, and quickly and confidently presented his ad campaign. Afterwards, as the boss congratulated him, and the radio executives shook his hand, he briefly wondered what Jessie was doing, and if she was being good for Aunt Betty. She had her dolls with her in a backpack, along with the layers and layers of clothing each of them needed. Those dolls were able to capture her attention for hours at a time, with no break in site. Those dolls had become his personal godsend.

Spike packed his proposal up, and went to finish up some work in his office, before taking time to call around to try and find yet another day-care. He was running out of options. Since moving Jessie from LA to Sunnydale, he had gone through 2 day care centers, and 3 in home day cares. He only had 2 options left before trying to find an in home sitter.

Calling around, he found a place with an opening for full time, and they were able to start her on Monday. That only left Friday when he would need a sitter. Thursday Aunt Betty was taking her, so that wasn't an issue. After hanging up, he called a friend of his who was a stay at home mom. Begging and pleading usually got him a sitter for a day here and there when he needed it. Fortunately, she was available to watch Jessie on Friday. Thanking his lucky stars, he hung up the phone.

Things would get better, he reasoned. After all, they couldn't really get worse.

**_TBC_**

_If you liked, please leave a review! How else am I to know if it's a good one or not?_


	3. Baby sitting

Chapter 3 

Buffy walked quickly down the sidewalk towards a shop down town that had just come up for rent. Interest in it was fairly high, though, because of the location, and because it was a steal, price wise. The building was turn of the century, with hardwood floors, and floor to ceiling windows in the front. The previous owner had even left some old display cases and racks at the shop, Buffy had heard.

She stopped in front of the large building, which sported two floors already designed for store use. Buffy glanced at her watch, and noted that she was a good ten minutes early, and that the realtor wouldn't be there yet.  She took the time to peek into the windows. The main floor was larger than her shop now, but a bit. It was nothing huge in comparison, but big enough.

The previous night, Buffy and Willow had crunched numbers. If she bought this place outright, with a 50% down payment, then her monthly payment would be almost half of what her rent at the current shop was. It would mean investing more money, but in this case, it was money Buffy could recoup if the shop failed. She would just sell the building. It would put her figures in black again, as well as giving her the wiggle room and shop room to do the arcade plan.

Cordelia Harris chased after her 2 year old son, Chase, as she tried to talk into the phone. Her husband, Xander, was going to be late tonight, and he asked that she not wait dinner. Xander worked construction for an architect in near by Los Angeles. Being that the commute was just over an hour, he usually didn't reach home until after 7.

"Get back here, right now!"

"Me?"

"What? No, your son. He took off with Jessie's doll, and after dropping his diaper, he took off running. When will you be home? Chase, no! Stop!"

"Probably around 8 or so. I shouldn't be that late, I just have to meet with a new client after work, in Sunnydale, actually. You sound busy. I'll let you go. Love you."

"Love you, too. See you at 8. Call if it'll be later." chase ducked under the kitchen table, and giggled as he looked at his mom trying to get the doll from him.

"Always do." Just as Cordy crawled under to grab Chase, the little red haired boy crawled out the other side, and took off running again.

"Bye," Cordy said breathlessly as she labored after Chase again. She finally caught him as he was trying to hide in his closet. Picking him up, she frowned down at his angelic face.

"Bye." The phone went dead in her hand, and she clicked it off before setting it on the dresser.

Cordelia tilted her head against her son's, and sighed.

"You know you aren't supposed to take things from other kids, and it was rude to take that doll from Jessie."

"Wude." Chase responded with an affirmative nod.

"Yes, wude." She carried him over to the changing table, and got him into another diaper, and new pants, as Jessie wandered into the room. Cordy smiled down at the little girl, and handed the doll Chase had still been holding to Jessie. She hugged it to her chest, and sat down to play with the doll. Cordy adored the little girl, but trying to handle an active 2 year old, and a 3 year old that never communicated, was just beyond her scope of patience.

"Ok, kids. You two play good, while I make us some lunch. How does apple slices and macaroni & cheese sound?"

"Cheeeeeetos!" Was the only response she got, this one from Chase. Cordy picked him up, and sat him on the floor by Jessie.

"No cheetos. And remind me to yell at your father for giving them to you. Cheetos bad, Chase."

"Want cheeeeetos!"

"No cheetos."

"Owce cweam," was his answer to that.

"No ice cream."

"Want cheeeeetos an owce cweam!"

With a sigh of exasperation, Cordy left the two toddlers playing, grabbed the phone, and went into the kitchen.

Buffy finished walking around the shop, and smiled to herself. The upstairs needed some work done, but wasn't in bad shape. It hadn't been used by the previous owner as shop space, just as storage. She could easily see the loft like appearance working well for an arcade. The floor was open, and looked down over the shop below. She could picture the shop filled with older toys, and with the newer ones she planned to stock.

The entire project was going to cut into her personal expenses heavily, but not so much as to bankrupt her. She could still live comfortably off her inheritance, and hopefully, the shop would be making money again.

She turned to the realtor and smiled. "I'll take it."

Spike hurried up the walk to the Harris house, and just as he was about to ring the bell, a harried looking Cordelia opened it, with 2 year old Chase on one hip, and 3 year old Jessie on the other. He smiled sheepishly, and opened the screen door. Jessie looked up at him, those big brown eyes as silent and emotionless as they usually were. It was rare for him to see or recognize any emotion in them.

"I am so sorry, Cordy. I got stopped on the way out of the office, and had to finish up some paperwork before I could leave. Where's Xander?"

"Its all right, no big. They've been pretty good all day, but Chase keeps stealing her doll. Xander had to meet with a client in town after work, he won't be home for a bit." She leaned one hip towards him, so he could take Jessie off her hands. Jessie willingly went into his arms, though he knew she really wasn't worried over who might be carrying her.

"That's good. Any problems with her today?"

"She had one of her crying stints during lunch. She just sat down in her chair, looked at her food, and cried. She stopped when I took the food away, though. She did eventually eat, but not much for lunch. I just fed them both dinner, so she's all set there. I think she's a bit tired, though she didn't sleep when I laid them down with a video."

"Ok, great. She'll sleep tonight. Hey, Cordy?"

"Yeah, Spike?"

"Thank you. I know it's hard trying to keep up with both of them. New day care starts Monday, and I called Gideon's again, to check on a time. They've gone a bit faster than expected, so she should be accepted in about 4 weeks. You have been a godsend, Cordy."

"Yeah, I know, I cook, clean, and watch kids. Why, I could be a regular old 50's housewife." She quipped sarcastically with a smile. She turned back to walk into the house, with Spike following her. "All of her dolls are in the bag, and her jacket is by the door. I think I have everything in the bag. Oh, wait, there's her cup."

Cordy sat Chase down, and picked up the cup from the floor. She rinsed it quickly, and handed it to Jessie, who was currently sucking on her thumb, and leaning her head against Spike's shoulder. Jessie's eyes were drooping downward, indicating it wouldn't take long for her to go to sleep.  
"Tell Xander I'll call him this weekend about that job on the house. And again, thank you."

Cordy smiled and kissed Jessie on the cheek before the two left the house. After they were gone, she looked down at Chase, and flopped into a chair at the table.

"Chase, don't ever have kids."

"No kids, no kids." He chirped as he played with a set of trucks on the kitchen floor.


	4. The New Shop

_Chapter 4_

Buffy looked around the shop. It had been one week and one day since she signed the papers, and amazingly, the sale went through with speed. She had kept the shop closed all week, and spent the time cleaning up the new place, while the construction crew she had hired was busy making the upper floor a bit more presentable. She had carpet installed on the upper floor, to minimize the sound of feet overhead.

The walls had been painted brightly all around the shop, with bright paths painted on the floor leading around the main floor. It had a very childlike appeal. In the book corner, Buffy had brought in small chairs and reading lamps, to make it cozy. In the train area, the path was painted to resemble train tracks. She had brightly colored curtains hanging in the small windows, and valances in the front windows. Willow was currently busy painting the front window with the shop name.

Buffy flattened a box, tossed it on a pile, and started unpacking a new box. The shop inventory looked pitifully small in here, where it was more spread out. She hoped to remedy that soon.

"Miss Summers, the upstairs shelving is done, and painted. Would you care to look?" She turned and smiled at the foreman of the crew, Xander Harris.

"Yes, I would. Thank you." She followed up the stairs behind him, and looked at the newly renovated upstairs. "Oh, it looks great. Thank you!" She walked around the floor slowly, her eyes taking in every detail.

"Tomorrow, we'll start on the new staircase." Buffy had wanted a more open staircase, something that didn't resemble the current closet like staircase.

"Great. How long do you think that should take?"

"About a week is all. Will that be all right? When is the grand opening?"

"Not until next Saturday. Can it be finished by then?" She turned her eyes to him, suddenly worried.  
"It shouldn't be a problem. We can stay an hour later each night, just to make certain." Xander answered. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, I would appreciate that. Thank you, again." She turned and went down the stairs and resumed her unpacking.

The phone rang an hour or so later, and Willow answered it. Buffy was almost finished with this group of boxes, and was packing up the empty ones to take to the old shop.  
"Buffy, it's the ad agency again. They think they have a radio commercial done. Can you stop by their office on Monday, or would you prefer they send someone out here?" Buffy looked up at Willow and thought for a moment.

"If it isn't too much of a problem, see if they can send someone." Willow nodded and resumed talking. A few minutes later, she walked over to Buffy.

"Will Turner will be over here at 1pm on Monday. I wrote it on the calendar."

Buffy smiled and thanked Willow, before going out to the small truck she had borrowed for the moving. The larger items, such as all the old arcade games, wouldn't be moved until Thursday, and she had hired a professional mover for those.

Spike walked with Jessie at the park. Jessie was looking over at the ducks as she walked, her feet shuffling around, the shoes scuffing on the ground with grass and dirt stains. Jessie's shoes often looked old before they were even worn for a week.

"Jessie, do you want to go see the ducks?"

She turned her solemn eyes to him and looked into his eyes for a moment. Jessie nodded slowly, and turned to look at the ducks. Quietly, she said, "Ducks."

He nodded, and took her over to the pond. There were benches set around, as well as small gumball machines containing food for the ducks. He stuck a quarter in, and filled a small paper cup with the food. Spike handed it to Jessie, and sat down on the bank to watch her. She sprinkled the food sparingly around her, and the people friendly ducks waddled up to her to peck at the ground.

In the months she had lived with her, he had felt a change in his life. Not just the upheaval of having her around, but emotionally, he felt different. Going to a club at night didn't hold the same appeal as a walk in the park with Jessie. Staying at work until 9 each night to get the job done quietly made way for dinner's at home, story time, bath time, and bedtime. Part of him missed the fast life he had loved, but most of him adored the quiet nights with his niece.

Jessie finished dropping the pieces of duck food, and sat down next to Spike to watch as the ducks scoured the ground for more pieces. She held her doll in her lap, cradling it gently.

She hummed quietly and rocked herself from side to side with her doll. This doll had a soft body, and a plastic head, arms, and feet. She was dressed in a purple onsie that had seen better days. Spike thought back to the toyshop he had found around the corner from his aunt Betty's house, and considered taking her there today. She was happy here, though. Or, as happy as he thought she could be. It was hard to understand, her condition.

Spike had known of it before gaining custody of her, of course, but he saw her so rarely that it hadn't really made an impact on his thinking of her. Before she had simply been his quiet niece. Her hair blew in a sudden breeze, and she giggled softly. He smiled as he watched her get excited over the simple breeze. His cell phone rang, and he answered it to find his secretary telling him of an appointment he needed to make on Monday afternoon. He got of the phone quickly, and clipped it back to his belt.

He reached over and tucked her hair back behind her ears. She mimicked the motion on her doll's yarn hair. When it didn't stay behind the plastic ears, she tried again, and again. On the fifth try, she howled and thrust the doll at Spike. She stared up at him, waiting for him to fix the dolls hair. He took the doll into his hands gingerly, and looked at the bright yellow yarn. He tugged a few strands back from the front, and braided them together away from the dolls face.

"Here you are, princess. All fixed."

Jessie smiled, then turned her back to him, and waited for him to do the same thing on her head. With careful tugs, he pulled her hair back, and braided it, but lacked anything to tie it off with at the end.

"All right, princess, you have a braid too. Should we go walk to the swings?" Without a verbal answer, Jessie stood up, and waited for him to join her.


	5. Dinner and Conversation

_Chapter 5_

"So, guys, you hear anything about this toy shop going in downtown? I've an appointment on Monday to meet the woman who owns it, to do up some radio spots." Spike asked as he cut the long strands of spaghetti up for Jessie, who was in a booster seat next to him.

"Funny you should ask, man. My crew is doing the work to fix the place up. It's supposed to be done by next week, so she can have a grand opening. It's not a new place, though. She had a shop in the old antique area. Wasn't getting much business, so she bought a new shop." Xander passed the bowl of spaghetti across the table to Cordelia, who was making a plate for Chase.

"Yeah, Xander said she's cute, even, Will. Maybe you should see if she's single, and get a hot date." Cordelia teased him, which earned a blush from both Xander and Spike.

"Hot date! Hot date!" Chase shouted across the table as he flung a piece of spaghetti at his father. "Want cheeeeetos. No getti. Cheeeeetos." Cordelia peered over at her sheepish husband, and then looked at Chase, and shook her head.

"Chase, I will not go over this again, Cheeto's are NOT a dinner, nor a lunch, and most certainly not a breakfast item. Xander, so help me…" she trailed off and tore a piece of garlic bread in half for Chase.

"Is she nice?" Spike asked as he looked at Xander.

"Who, Cordy? Hell no, the woman can make your balls shrivel up and die with a glance."

"Balls die!" Chase added to the conversation.

"Alexander Jacob Harris. You want to sleep on the couch tonight? Or better yet, you want the bedroom all to yourself while I go home with Spike?" She peered at Xander, who coughed and smiled innocently at his wife. She wasn't overly upset with him, not really. She knew he was teasing, the same way he knew she was teasing.

"Mate, you really ought to stop inserting that foot in your mouth. Looks mighty uncomfortable. I mean the chick at the toyshop. She nice? A dragon? What should I except?" Spike took a bite of his food before looking down to help Jessie with her fork. Jessie looked up at him silently for a moment, and rewarded him with one of her rare smiles. He smiled back, and ducked his head to place a kiss on her forehead, before turning back to Xander.

"Yeah, she's nice. Not over bearing at all. She had some idea's on what she wanted, but wanted our input as well, and went along with the idea's we thought would best suit her budget and the store layout. The shop's cute, too. Kids will love it. Heck, I'd love it. The upstairs is going to be an arcade when she gets together enough new games." He took a large bite, and between chews, continued talking. "Her parents were into all those vintage carnival games, back from like 80 or 90 years ago. She has some of those that will be operating, too. You'll like her. Not married, either, that I've seen."

Spike merely rolled his eyes and finished his food.

Buffy unlocked the door of her shop early, and came in to do some cleaning up before the work crew got there in an hour. She had worked hard to make certain everything was cleaned up either after the crew left, or before they arrived the next day. The new shop was her last ditch effort on making a go of things with the STC. It looked great, but would that bring people in, she wondered.

With a sigh, she hauled out the last of her boxes of old inventory, and started going through them. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to fill all the space, but she had new inventory scheduled to be brought in through out the week. For the weekend opening, she had sent out flyers, coupons, and posted signs all over town. Buffy had a clown coming in for a few hours to make balloon animals, and she had a balloon popping thing planned, with each balloon having a coupon inside.

She glanced at the clock, and saw that even after unpacking, she still had almost 20 minutes to wait for the crew. She went and sat at the computer, and powered it up. Connecting to the internet quickly, she pulled up first her internet site, and checked the orders. She had gotten two more over night, she noted with a smile. Next, she checked her eBay account, where she had several auctions ending soon for orders, and two auctions she was watching for large lots of goods for the shop.

Spike sighed as he looked down at Jessie. She was starting her new day care today, but had gotten rather clingy since arriving at the place. Spike was crouched down nearly to her level, and trying to talk her into looking at the dolls the day care had. So far, it wasn't working. Jessie clung to him like glue clung to paper, and showed no sign of relaxing.

"Mr. Turner, it might be easiest if you just give her a kiss, say good-bye, and leave. She'll find her way soon enough. I'm sure you need to be at work." An older woman of about 50 was standing over them talking. She ran the daycare, and was looking rather impatient to get back to the other kids.

"I will, I will. Just, give me a moment." Spike turned back to Jessie, and held her face in his hands. "Princess, you will like it here. There are dolls here for you to make friends with, and there are swings on the playground, it looks like. Uncle Will has to go, though, princess. I will be back tonight, and we'll go for dinner." With a final sigh, Spike gave her a hug, and set her away from his body. Standing quickly, he gave an apologetic smile to the owner, Mrs. Dennison, and moved out the door as fast as he could. He could hear Jessie's wails, and those nearly had him running back to grab her, and take her back home, where she felt safe.

It took a lot of will power to get into his car, and leave his young charge at the center, though he finally did it.


	6. Desperatly seeking a babysitter

Chapter 6 

Buffy sipped her tea as she looked over the latest stack of bills. Signing her name quickly on the business checks, Buffy stuffed them into their respective envelopes, and placed stamps on each of them. The mailman would be there soon, and Buffy wanted each of the bills to go out in the day's mail. She glanced at the clock as she set the mail aside, and noted that it was nearly time for her meeting with the ad guy.

"Buffy, the mailman is here, and he has a large box. Where do you want it?" Willow asked as she stuck her head into the small space Buffy was using for an office.

"Oh, bring it back here. And here, give these to him, will you?" She smiled at Willow, and thanked her lucky stars that she had a friend who was able to take time to help her out. As the box was brought back, Buffy glanced at the shipping label, and then went through her paper work to find the right order, so that she could compare the order against her papers.

Just as she was opening the box, Willow came back again, telling her that the ad agency guy was here. With a sigh, Buffy shoved the box away from her, and looked in a small mirror. She quickly pulled a brush through her long hair, and twisted it up in a loose bun, which she secured with a couple of pencils. She turned and followed Willow out to the main shop floor, where a young blonde man was busy glancing around the shop in wonder.

"Hi, you must be Mr. Turner?" Buffy asked as she approached him. He turned his attention to her, and smiled.

"That's me, or so the business cards say. You would be Mrs. Summers?" He asked as he stretched his hand out towards her. She accepted it, but shook her head.

"Miss Summers, actually. No missus yet," she said with a laugh. "Follow me into the back, and we can get started." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, making the greenish brown hue standout more. She turned and made her way along a painted stone path into the back room.

As he followed her, his lecherous eyes roamed downward, and with a mental slap, he dragged his eyes back up to her head, where the sloppy bun was threatening to fall out. She was smaller than he'd have thought, coming only to his neck.

She pulled two chairs up to a small table, and laid out her papers before smiling up at him. "Well, I don't really have much by way of idea's. I am really relying on you." She said with a small laugh as Spike sat down.

"Well, I suppose it depends on who you hope to drag in here. We could appeal to the kids, the adults, the grandparents, or the masses. Do you have any specials that you'll be running when you re-open?" Spike opened his leather bag, and pulled out a notebook to scribble idea's on.  
"Yes, we'll have a clown from 1pm to 3pm doing balloon animals, all the vintage toys will be 25% off all day, and the newer toys will be 40% off all day. There are also coupons in the mail, and I'm going to have balloons to pop with coupons in them for 10-50% off the sale price. Um… there's going to be snacks set around, too. That's really about all I can think of."

With a smile, Spike nodded and wrote all of it down on his notebook, then stared at it for a moment. He looked back up at her, his pale blue eyes boring into her green ones. "What time is the opening, and the closing, and what are the normal business hours?" Buffy stared at him for a moment in a bit of a daze before shaking herself out of it with an embarrassed smile.

"We open at 10, and close at 6 on Saturday. Our normal hours are 10 to 8 Monday through Friday, and 10 to 6 on Saturday. We're closed on Sunday."

Spike nodded as he wrote the information down, and then smiled at her.

"I can have several mock ups ready for you for tomorrow afternoon. Do you have any preference on male or female voice, or if there's any particular music you want in the background?"

"Oh, I hadn't really thought about it. I guess do a few of each. As for music, anything but old carnival or circus music is fine. Gives me the willies." Buffy said with a shudder. "Something playful I suppose. Kid oriented music."

"Sounds lovely, pet. I can stop back tomorrow at about…" He trailed off as he checked his appointment book. "Is 4:30 good for you? That will give me time to get them all up tonight, and have some talent come in and record them in the morning." Just as he finished, his cell started to ring. He glanced down, and saw it was the daycare. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, but it's the daycare, do you mind if I…?" He motioned towards the phone.  
"Oh, no, not at all. Take your time."

As he answered the phone and stepped a bit away from her, he turned her back towards her, giving Buffy time to study him a bit more thoroughly. His hair wasn't naturally blonde, she realized upon better inspection. It almost looked bleached out to her. His shoulders were wide, but not overly so, and she could see muscle tone under the dark blue dress shirt he wore. Her eyes started to travel down further, but she stopped herself, and looked up just to see him watching her over his shoulder with a bit of a knowing smirk. She blushed, and looked down at her papers.

"This is Will Turner, how can I help you?" Spike asked as he stood and walked away from the table. He knew who was on the other end, but out of habit, he answered as he does for his business calls.

"Mr. Turner," Mrs. Dennison started in a tone that didn't bode well for him, "Jessie has been howling nearly all day, which we can handle. However, when she started biting the other kids, and then my staff, I have to draw the line. You need to pick her up immediately." Spike groaned and glanced back towards his client, in time to see her looking him up and down. Arching an eyebrow in her direction, he watched as she turned beet red, and looked down at her papers.

"Mrs. Dennison, I understand the problem, but it might be a bit before I can get there. Is there a place Jessie can sit alone, away from the other kids?"

"No, and frankly, I wish you had told us about her problems before this. We just are not equipped to handle a child who will not listen at all. Please come and pick her up immediately." He frowned, and turned back to facing away from his client.

"Yes, I'll be there soon. Just don't… I'll be there soon. Good-bye, Mrs. Dennison." Spike clicked the phone off with a sigh, and pondered the problem. Cordy would likely baby-sit, but he didn't have much choice, at least for today. He turned back to Miss Summers, and gave her another apologetic smile.  
"I am really sorry to cut this short, but my new day care just told me I need to find another one already."

"Oh, that sounds bad. I wish I could help," she said as she watched him.

"No, no, don't worry about it. She'll be fine. In the mean time, I need to get going, and try to dig up a sitter for the day."  He started shuffling his papers around, and sticking them back into the bag.

"A sitter… oh, hey, wait a moment." She stood up and walked into the main shop, leaving him watching after her with confusion. A few moments passed, and she re-entered the back room with the redhead in tow. "Mr. Turner, this is Willow. She's a friend of mine. She watches kids sometimes. I explained your problem, and if you want, she said she's watch your daughter. Or is it a son?" Spike arched his eyebrows in surprise, and looked at the red head curiously.

"Neither, actually. She's my niece. My brother and his wife died in a car accident a while ago." He studied Willow, who smiled in return. "You would watch her today? I mean, I don't even know you, and you'd do that for me?"

"Well, sure. I mean, I love kids, and all, and it's fun watching them. I don't live far from here, if you want to bring her back here, her and I could just walk back to my apartment. I bet she'd love it in here."  
"I don't know, I mean, it's a great offer, don't get me wrong, I just… don't you have to work?" He watched her for a moment, and then turned to look at Miss Summers, who was staring at him.

"Here? Oh, no, I'm just helping Buffy out when I can. I work nights mostly, so I'm not busy during the day."

"Well, I guess… I mean, I don't have many options, so it would be a godsend. There is one small problem, though, with Jessie." He said as he watched the two of them.

"What is it?"

"She has autism. She doesn't talk much, and pretty much spends most of her time locked in her own little world. Loves dolls, though." He waited for her to back out after hearing that, but it didn't come. "She also bites, apparently. She's never done it when I'm around, but she does it at all these day cares. Doesn't do it at my mate Xander's house, either. I think it's being around so many kids, or something. She's fine when she's with someone just one on one, or even with another kid. Is that all right?"

"Yeah, I think I can handle her. Besides, it's only until you get out of work, right?" Spike nodded, and took out a piece of paper to scribble emergency numbers on, as well as his hours and work address. He handed her the slip of paper.

"I guess I'll be back in about 15 minutes. Thank you, so much. You are saving my arse."  He looked over at his quiet client, and smiled charmingly. "I promise, Miss Summers, the ad will be done tomorrow by 4:30."

"Oh, please, call my Buffy. It's too formal being Miss Summers. It reminds me of my old aunt, who never got married." She smiled up at him as he nodded.

"Well, it's only fair then, Spike's what I go by." Both her and Willow nodded, and with a quick good-bye, he was out the door to pick his errant charge up from the newest failure in daycares.


End file.
